Cedric
Introduction Cedric was raised by the priests of Auvingon from the time he was a baby. During the beginning of The Great War, many Etudian noble families were wiped out in the fights, and he was the lone survivor of the Lionpaw clan. It was at that time that a prophecy predicted the birth of a king that would unite all lands and all people. This is largely believed to be the reason that Cedric was entrusted to Father Martin of the Order of Balance. He was trained in both combat and the sciences, and it was noticed early on that the child had an inquisitive nature and a genuine determination to help people. In this environment, he was sheltered from the outside world and the prejudices growing between the races there. In the young king's mind, there was no such separation as some of the priests were Nendeeni and others were of Etudian descent. Story Warning! Contains spoilers! When the day came for him to leave and go on the journey dictated to him, he walked on foot for weeks to reach The Crystal Canyon and the people (most of whom were of mixed race) who lived there. Without knowing anything but what Father Martin had told him of his destiny, Cedric approached Martel Wolfheart and tried to explain his plight before promptly passing out from exauhstion. After regrouping and introducing the situation to the man who had raised herself and the other three Tamers who were also considered children of the prophecy, Cedric regained conciousness and identified himself as the missing fourth family representitive they had been waiting for. The next several years were spent there in the Canyon, preparing for what the oppressed people there believed would finally be their uprising. They were prepared to defend the Canyon despite Cedric's constant urging for them to get a jump on the situation that was building in the new capital of Floria. It was only years later when Cedric was just turning twenty that Martel had a sudden and disturbing vision of Absalom, Alex Eagleye's childhood friend, in a dire situation. He appeared to have been captured by the authorities in Floria, despite the fact that he'd been living peacefully, all because he was a Nendeeni Tribesman. This prompted the beginning of their journey, carrying them first to the Crystal Tower where Martel contracted her Kylan and broke the first of the seals placed on the Etudians, then to Laketon, and beyond. Each Tamer met with the chance to make a Contract, save for Cedric himself. When they reached Floria, they helped to free Absalom, Hidoi, and a boy calling himself Dietrich. They went on their way back to Yliah to find safety among the people of the Canyon, while the Tamers forged an alliance with Cyrus, the former Queen's general. He believed it to be a challenge to his honor to allow Luka to rule any longer. Despite Cedric's dislike for war, they fought against Luka's forces and managed to break through his shoddily built forces. The future king faced Luka and begged him to lay down his arms. Only then did it become obvious that Luka had been a pawn in the God of Chaos' temper tantrum, and had gone mad from the power given to him. He refused to back down and fought against Cedric with all of his might. Despite his attempts at making a truce between them, he was forced to kill Luka in self-defense. Cyrus spearheaded the spreading of the good news. The king from the prophecy had arrived. Cedric Contracted his own Kylan in the form of a lion. This was just as the prophecies had foretold and even the skeptical young man had to admit that he was beginning to really fit the bill. This marked the end of The Great War and the beginning of the Change of Hands. Cedric went on to speak far and wide about the importance of tolerance and the integration of the two peoples. He was of course met at first with suspicion, with everything from Nendeeni claiming that he was betraying them (obviously a non-Nendeeni couldn't have a Kylan), to Etudians saying that there was no way they'd allow someone who was obviously Nendeeni on the throne. Things were starting to look troublesome when Cedric met Abel by chance, saving him from an alleyway where he'd been threatened by a group of Etudian thugs. When Abel didn't treat Cedric with any sort of chagrin despite the fact that he was obviously Etudian (so long as Rowan wasn't walking with him), the king realized that he'd met a very special Nendeeni indeed. He immediately asked the other young man to become his advisor and help him unite their two peoples. As time passed, Cedric and Abel's relationship became something of a romance, and when the king's coronation was made official, Abel was crowned at his side. They ruled together for quite some time, traveling the lands and spreading their message of love and tolerance over hatred. This all came to an end when Abel's brother, the aptly named Cain Narayana, murdered his brother's Kylan, and then attempted to do the same to both his brother and the king in their bed. They put up a fight, but Abel was afflicted by the Sickness upon Gabriel's death, and so he fell first, followed shortly by Cedric. He did all this in order to ascend to the status of Lich Lord, thereby gaining immortality. This shocked the God of Balance so much that she placed a curse on the man who had murdered the kindly Alchemist and the king of all the lands. He would have the immortality that he had quested for, but no matter what he did, Abel and Cedric would be reborn again and again, and it was through them that he would meet his end.